Eat & Move Series | December Goal

Oh December!! How I've awaited you with bated breath.

Eat & Move Series | October Review

Nutritionist WANTED!

Eat & Move Series | August Review

1 step forward, 2 steps back

Eat & Move Series | August Goal

Now that I've gotten a hang of this nutrition aspect of my diet, it's time to dissect the second most important meal of the day, Lunch.

Lunch may be one of the most underrated meals.  So much emphasis is placed on breakfast, and with good reason, then, it seems we skip lunch and head straight to dinner when thinking about meals.  "Dinner date" vs "Lunch date"...right?  I would go as far to say Brunch has even surpassed lunch on the meal scale.  Who isn't always ready for brunch?  Now, that is arguably the most important meal of the entire weekend.

Lunch happens 5x more often though.  So, all things considered, and for the purposes of immediate objectives in achieving my Diet Goals, I'll focus on Lunch.  

Depending your schedule, lunch can be the last meal you have to prepare your body for your workout.  In some cases it can be the meal following your workout.  In both cases, this makes lunch vital to achieving your workout and fitness goals, as meal composition and quantity would determine performance or recovery, respectively.

Even if your workout is not preceded or succeeded by lunch, it is an important meal of your day in which your body is provided with essential nutrition for both mental and physical health.  Therefore, lunch should never be skipped. Here are a few reasons not to skip lunch:

• re-energizes your body and can raise blood sugar levels when focus and concentration are lagging
• keeps your metabolism active, especially if you have a moderately sized meal and a snack before and afterward
• skipping lunch can rev up your appetite later, causing you to overeat or choose foods that have poor nutritional values

Always remember that what you eat is more important than how much, Quality over Quantity.  Therefore meals, including lunch should be well balanced and meet an appropriate carbohydrate-protein-fat ratio.  There is no one size fits all for this ratio, as factors such as before/after workout would determine the proportions needed by the body.

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I don't generally skip any meals, definitely not intentionally, but there have been the odd days where it has happened.  I also don't put a lot of thought into Lunch and generally have leftovers, or something quick to assemble.  This is not a bad approach to lunch, however, a bit more attention and care is needed when working towards a goal.  In my personal case I cannot afford to miss lunch or not have it be a quality meal, as lunch precedes my workout on most days.   Therefore to master this meal and achieve my goal, planning must be implemented to see results and achieve success.  

Planning to have lunch timed at 60-90 mins before workouts to ensure proper digestion - to make the nutrients available to fuel the workout to prevent suffering muscle loss.  And planning to include complex carbs, lean protein and healthy fats to achieve my goal of increased lean muscle.

Keep this in mind if your goals are similar. 

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GOAL MEASUREMENT | PROGRESS | SUCCESS

MEASUREMENT

Record meals in detail using app. with pecific focus on the content breakdown - carb/protein/fat.

The first week will be the base before assessment and adjustments

PROGRESS

There will be 2 assessments, the first after the first week which will propose adjustments in planning to be taken over the following 2 weeks, and the second following this/after the 3rd week to gauge progress and rate the effectiveness of changes made.

SUCCESS

Scheduled consistent well balanced meals that allow for mental and physical health, with noted improvement in workout performance and results. And no skipped lunches!

Sources

Why is lunch so important?

The best foods to eat before and after your workout

How do you tie lunch into your fitness and diet goals?

~ Josie Jo ~

 

Eat and Move Series | Half Year Report 2016

Ever gone into something knowing it was challenging, but it still caught you off guard?  That's how this series has me feeling.  

Healthy 5 Ingredient (No-Bake) Granola Bars via Minimalist Baker | Recipe

Snack Attack!

We all snack, and if you don't you really should start snacking.
But what do you reach for when you do?

Healthy (Hair) Food | Roasted Garlic Hummus - Recipe

Source: Gimme Some Oven (I didn't use the recipe, I just liked the picture)

I love hummus!  I hope you do too, because I'm sharing this recipe with you, like it or not.

Eat & Move Series | April Review

Muscle building nutrition is not rocket science; it just requires some basic knowledge, discipline and consistency. You need to eat a good healthy diet every day to get the results you desire. Nutrition is often overlooked ...but the fact is, if you don't have a good muscle building diet you are really limiting the results you get from your training.
~ Muscle and Strength

Eat & Move Series | Quarterly Report & March Review

Quarterly Report

Eat & Move Series | April 2016 Goal

This month April focuses on Nutrition.

Eat & Move Series 2016 | How to successfully train and maintain a healthy muscle building diet while fasting

Eat & Move Series | February Review

The Eat & Moves Series continues, with another full month now over.  

Soon it's gonna be almost Summer!!

Recipe | Creamy Post Workout Hair Dream - A Double Duty Green Smoothie

This incredibly delicious smoothie I concocted works double duty.

Eat & Move Series | February 2016 Goal

For the 2nd month of the Eat & Move Series 2016 the focus will be on Snacking!

2016 Eat & Move Series

Introducing the 2016 Eat & Move Series following my 2016 Diet & Exercise Mini Goals.  These feed into my overall goal of Maintaining a Natural & Healthy Lifestyle.  Keeping in line with the pillars of this blog, the series will fall under both YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT & WORK IT OUT.

Recipe | TURMERIC, GINGER & HONEY TEA-TOX

You ever start the year feeling like you should do a full body overhaul??
Me neither...well, not usually, but this year, that feeling hit me, hard!
...and this Tumeric Tea-Tox was born

How to Eat Naturally | Combining Foods for Optimal Nutrition and Proper Digestion

✔Don't over cook our vegetables and relish in fresh fruit - Eat Fresh & Seasonably

✔Nourish Your Bodies - Add SUPER Foods to Your Diet

✔Create Balanced Meals and Feed Your Body - Eat ALL Day Long

That's everything right?  We have ensured a natural eating process.  WE have optimized our potential for healthy eating and leading a healthy lifestyle.
So what's this ⬇Cheat Sheet⬇ about??

How do we know that all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals in the foods we eat are actually being absorbed and utilized by our bodies?

How to Eat Naturally | Add SUPER Foods to Your Diet

I'm sure you've heard all the buzz about Superfoods lately, you've probably even taken it upon yourself to do a little research on them, and added them to your diet.  And with good reason, they're Super foods! Right?
But what makes them Super, and how do they really benefit you?

How to Eat Naturally | Eat Fresh & Seasonably

The food we eat and put into our bodies is meant to nourish us.  Therefore, it is in our best interest to choose the most nutritious foods in our diet. How do you know what the most nutritious foods are, you ask.  Well those would be those foods that are most fresh, and the freshest foods are those in season.

Have you noticed the global movement towards Eating Local lately?  Well, for the most part, its about economic sustainability.  Support your local farmer, which is great by the way, keep the local economy booming.  But, think selfishly for a moment as see it as an opportunity to do something for your own good.

I can give you a few reasons off the cuff why Eating Seasonably Benefit YOU

Spicy Greens | Creating a Better Me - October Challenges Review

In October I undertook 2 challenges in line with my journey towards a Natural Lifestyle which I spoke about in my Green Smoothies & Spicy Yoga post last month.  I am so happy that I selected both these challenges as they were so complementary, and became seamlessly incorporated in my regular routine.